Keto or low carb?

alijoan11

I know the choice between low carb diet and full keto is a very individualistic choice, but I’m wondering if anyone might reveal why they like their WOE best. I’m mostly concerned with weight loss and sustainability. I can’t decide which route I’d like to take. Can you still lose weight as well on low carb vs keto? Other benefits? Thanks.

Teabythesea_

You will lose weight on any diet that creates a calorie deficit. If you're looking for something sustainable your best bet is not over restrict an entire macronutrient. Just eat everything your normally would, but in smaller portions. Also, asking others what works for them isnt really an effective way to determine what will work for you. Some find low carb, satiating, others don't. Depends on the person.

zeejane03

You can lose weight doing low carb, keto, moderate carbs or high carbs. Carbs/macro ratios don't matter for weight loss-being at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals is what matters.

How you go about creating that deficit is an individual thing-what works with your eating preferences, schedule, lifestyle, satiety levels etc.

Figure out how to create your needed calorie balance in a way that's enjoyable and sustainable for you.

Panini911

select a way of eating that is more natural for you and keeps YOU feeling full. pick one you can keep up for life not just during weight loss to ensure long lasting success not just yo-yo dieting.

neither keto no low carb are required to lose weight. you can lose weight eating any way as long as you eat at a calorie deficit over time. some people just find these ways of eating works for them in their natural preferences and feeling full.

so, do you think eating keto levels of low carb is sustainable long term? is it full fo foods you love and enjoy? foods that keep you full? you could start with low carb if you really want as a test. that will give you a general idea.

i chose neither. i eat foods i like in moderation. the only macro i watch is the protein to ensure i get more than the minimum recommended most days. and since i tend to not hit my fat goals i recently started keeping abit of an eye on that one.

i left the macros as they are automatically generated by MFP.

nvmomketo

I have been keto for close to 4 years. I started with low carb but found the lower my carbs were the better I felt and the easier it was for me to lose weight.

TBH, I stay with keto because of how it makes me feel. The improvements I get in my joints, headaches BG control, mood and energy stability are almost shocking. Even if I lost no weight, I'd stay with it.

In terms of weight loss, I lose weight easier the lower carb I am. Right now, my carbs are basically zero, and i am proceeding like I am in maintenance without any concern for calorie intake, but I am still slowly losing. When my carbs are very low, I naturally eat less (perhaps it has some something to do with Naiman's protein to energy ratio). Because of this, I dont think about food much, I rarely get hungry, and my stomach doesn't gurgle unless I eat carbs. Combine that with steadier energy and it pushes food way down on my priority list.

I also seem to lose weight a bit faster, calorie for calorie, when I eat a whole foods ketogenic diet. There is some evidence that there is a very slight calorie benefit to keto diets as seen by Ludwig (up to 300 kcal benefit) and Hall (although he interpreted his possible 100 kcal benefit as not a benefit, which I still find odd). The are numerous n=1 experiments, like Sam Feltham who ate 5000 kcal of keto, SAD and vegetarian diets for a month, which show that for many (especially those with some form of IR or hyperinsulinemua) that weightloss is easier.

My n=1 had calories set at 1420 to lose about 1.5 lbs a week (I was 190, 5'8" and inactive). Instead my food intake averaged 1500 kcal a day, and by the end of three months I was about 165 - that's about 2-3 lbs a week. That would imply that I was eating with a 1000-1250 kcal deficit, or that at maintenance I can eat 2500-2750 a day. When I ate a higher carb diet, I would gain at that level. Now, with almost no carbs? I am not sure.

Yesterday I ate coffee with whipping cream (about 1/4-1/3 c) and a scoop of protein powder, 3 slices bacon, 4 (200kcal each) smoked beer pepperoni, a can of mussels, about 2 oz cheese, meatloaf (maybe 1/3-1/2 lb. This would be not too unusual, and I am losing 1/2-1lb a week right now, but i also ate a dozen sweet potato chips, some lentil crackers and a small scoop of scalloped potatoes and cauliflower when at someone's home; I normally skip plant based foods because I feel less well with them. Today my stomach is gurgling, my hips are aching, and my knee is burning.

Foods from plants taste wonderful, and some are healthy, but they just dont agree with me. I could lose or maintain weight while eating plants but I would be hungry, less energetic, and not feel as well, which would make it harder for me, so my choice is an obvious one. But as you said, it varies between people.

kshama2001

alijoan11 wrote: »

I know the choice between low carb diet and full keto is a very individualistic choice, but I’m wondering if anyone might reveal why they like their WOE best. I’m mostly concerned with weight loss and sustainability. I can’t decide which route I’d like to take. Can you still lose weight as well on low carb vs keto? Other benefits? Thanks.

You can lose, maintain, or gain weight on any way of eating, including low carb and keto.

The key is finding a way of eating that best helps you create a calorie deficit. What's best for me may not be best for you.

I don't find fat especially satiating, and in fact feel gross when I eat a lot of it, so recognize keto wouldn't work for me.

azzeazsaleh5429

I do low carb/keto and it worked wonders on me. You might want to read this article which is not about low carb but rather "Death of a calorie" : https://www.1843magazine.com/features/death-of-the-calorie

People are more fanatical about the calorie topic just a heads up.

Muscleflex79

cmriverside

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

nvmomketo

azzeazsaleh5429 wrote: »

I do low carb/keto and it worked wonders on me. You might want to read this article which is not about low carb but rather "Death of a calorie" : https://www.1843magazine.com/features/death-of-the-calorie

People are more fanatical about the calorie topic just a heads up.

Interesting article.

nvmomketo

cmriverside wrote: »

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

Below 100 to150 g of carbs is low carb, and it helped you with compulsive carb eating, and the OP asked about low carb or keto, but you suggest moderate carb. Do you mean low carb?

cmriverside

nvmomketo wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

Below 100 to150 g of carbs is low carb, and it helped you with compulsive carb eating, and the OP asked about low carb or keto, but you suggest moderate carb. Do you mean low carb?

Not interested in a semantics argument. If I had said "low carb" someone would have argued that 150g is "moderate."

Nothing to see here.

nvmomketo

cmriverside wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

I'd say try lower (moderate) carb. For me during weight loss that was 1600 calories, with 100-150g carbs. That was enough to allow me some bread, some pasta, some rice, some potatoes but not enough carbs to allow me bread three times a day or more than one sugary treat per week. It helped me with compulsive eating because I tend to eat high-carb food compulsively and if I'm only having them in small quantities it doesn't set off my binge eating.

Try the moderate carb.. If it's super easy and you're happy with it then you could try reducing carbs further if you think that is something you want to try.

It's still about calories for weight control.

Below 100 to150 g of carbs is low carb, and it helped you with compulsive carb eating, and the OP asked about low carb or keto, but you suggest moderate carb. Do you mean low carb?

Not interested in a semantics argument. If I had said "low carb" someone would have argued that 150g is "moderate."

Nothing to see here.

Just trying to clarify.

So you recommend starting at 100-150g of carbs, which is low carb by most standards, but prefer to call it moderate carb...

lemurcat2

At 1200, 150 g carbs is 50%. At 1500, it's 40%. I'd consider around 40-30-30 to be moderate carb (and a good choice for many if eating around 1500 or below, because it means there's more protein than the MFP default), but like cmriverside said, it's just semantics.

psuLemon

Why not just start with low carb and slowly decrease carbs to see how it impacts how you feel? Personally, the higher the carbs, the better for me. I lost my weight consuming 250-300g+ per day. My lifting performance and energy suffer the lower the calories I go.